I had a full day yesterday. First, was the library program where we took three and four year olds through three activities…thirty kids at a time at each station. A volunteer read them a story, and then they played a game. The last activity was the crafts. That’s where I helped. I kept my Cherrios necklace. It will go with everything. The kids did great until the last group came through. It was getting close to lunchtime and they were getting hungry. Most of them ate their necklaces before they left. Anyway, they were all good and a lot of fun.
Later, I went with a friend to the Tri County Library in Mabank to listen to a local history buff talk as we watched a slide presentation about the history of Mabank. It was really interesting. We enjoyed seeing the old photographs, looking at displays, and listening to the comments of the people raised here in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.
Cattle drive through Mabank…
Murdo McKenzie…the famous cattleman who Murdo was named after.
Like my hometown of Murdo, SD, Mabank started out as a cattle town. The RR came through here and cattle drives came right through downtown Mabank’s Main Street. The community was very close knit and as one gentleman said, “I was friends with him all my life until he died.”
The men, or I should say, kids, went off to war after high school and some didn’t come back. The speaker told of a young man who suffered a fatal injury at Mabank’s first home football game. It was heartwarming to learn that just a few years ago, a group of his fellow teammates and friends came up with almost $3000.00 to erect a memorial for him at the football field. We also saw a picture of the man who came up with the idea of having the school mascot be the Panthers.
Several things brought back old memories. There was a slide of an old roller skate key. It reminded me of the times we used to beg our parents to drive us to Draper, which was about nine miles from Murdo, so we could roller skate in their auditorium. On the weekends, a local man opened it up for an afternoon or evening of fun. All the kids could either bring their own skates or rent the kind that needed a key. I remember sitting on the bottom of the bleachers while I waited for, I believe it was Mr. Horsley, to fit me with a pair of roller skates. He sat on a bench that slanted like those they used at shoe stores when the salesperson measured your feet and helped you try on shoes that were the right size…with enough room in the toe of course.
It was organized skating. Music played as we had free skating, couples skating, three at a time and other more challenging formations. It was a whole lot of fun, but it wasn’t that easy to get rides. Even though Draper was only nine miles away, the parent who took us, had to drop us off and then come all the way back a few hours later, and pick us up. The place was always full of kids having a good time.
How could I have forgotten about that?
I’m getting hungry…guess I’ll get some milk and eat my necklace.
Those 70ish Girls 